How gender norms impact women’s role in forest use and forest management – illustrations from Ethiopia’s Bale Ecoregion

Involving rural communities is important for effective forest conservation, however, women are often excluded from playing an active role in forest-related decision-making, despite the high dependency of rural women on forest products such as fuelwood and non-timber forest products and clear evidence that women’s participation in forest management groups can result in better resource governance and conservation outcomes. This paper unravels the gender relations in rural forest dependent communities in Ethiopia by taking a closer look at the country’s Bale Ecoregion, located in the Oromia regional state.